


What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?

by nerdcredred, Ocelot_l



Series: Lifetimes [4]
Category: Atop the Fourth Wall, That Guy with the Glasses/Channel Awesome
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-01
Updated: 2013-11-01
Packaged: 2017-12-31 04:11:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1027077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdcredred/pseuds/nerdcredred, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ocelot_l/pseuds/Ocelot_l
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After what happened at the cabin, Boffo can't stop blaming himself...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> All works can also be found at my LiveJournal page at http://bookishlady242.livejournal.com/
> 
> We do not own these characters nor the people who portray these characters. This is meant as a work of fiction and is fair use. "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" is performed by Ella Fitzgerald. "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" is performed by Pat Benetar. "I'd Love You To Want Me" is performed by Lobo. "Cat's In the Cradle" is performed by Harry Chapin. "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" is performed by Meatloaf. "Every Breath You Take" is performed by Sting & The Police.

Boffo entered his room and flopped unceremoniously onto his bed. It had been a long day at the hospital and he would've loved nothing more than to put on some music, unwind atop his comfortable quilt, and let his mind wander before he drifted off into a refreshing nap. But, since letting his mind wander only allowed him to relive the dumbest mistake of his adult life, Boffo instead stood back up and set to work.

First, it was an hour of juggling practice with balls and beanbags, and then an hour with the face paints, where he worked on perfecting his tiger stripes and butterfly wings, followed up with an hour of magic practice, since he liked to update his card tricks for the kids who were regular visitors to the hospital. When he was satisfied with his training, Boffo grabbed a quick bite from the kitchen and jumped into the shower barely long enough for the mirrors to fog over. He couldn’t allow himself to relax, because if he relaxed he’d think, and if he thought, he’d remember, and if he remembered…

Boffo paused in the hallway on the way back to his room to look at the door farthest from the stairs. Linksano’s door. He hadn’t been seen much by the team, preferring to take his meals in his lab lately as he worked tirelessly on some new project that he gave scarce few details about to those who chanced upon him when he did surface.

Boffo couldn’t blame him. If he’d been kissed by someone and then told it was for the sake of a joke, he wouldn’t have wanted to run into that person again even accidentally. His stomach churned as the memories forced their way back into his mind and Boffo fled into his room before someone found him and asked why he was staring at Linksano’s door as if it were going to make him sick. He collapsed onto the chair at his desk and bowed his head, his forehead landing on the keyboard of his computer.

Why had he done that? How could he have done that?

Things had been going so well. Linksano had started to smile again, that awkward, honest smile he so rarely wore, the one that made Boffo’s stomach feel like it was full of butterflies; the one he always wanted to see on the scientist’s face.

Linksano was usually so sad. His eyes were always hidden behind those spiral goggles, but the rest of his body spoke volumes. When he wasn’t talking about something scientific, Linksano seemed to shrink into the background, almost shunning human interaction and contact at times. When the team gathered for meetings, he would frown and fidget constantly, an air of uncertainty and unease hanging over him, as if he didn’t truly believe that he belonged among the group. He might offer a sarcastic remark or a teasing query now and then, but for the most part, he seemed so hesitant, and so lonely.

From their very first meeting, Boffo had been able to tell that Linksano was hiding a lot of sadness inside him. That was true of the others too, he’d discerned, but in time he’d seen that those who bore the heaviest burdens, like Harvey, had managed to find solace, comfort, and even joy thanks to their relationships with the other members of the team. This wasn’t true of Linksano. He didn’t connect to anyone on more than a rudimentary level. He didn’t share things about himself or his life before moving into Linkara’s home. Other than science, he didn’t discuss hobbies or interests, so Boffo always paid close attention when he talked about science, since it was when he was most animated. Even though Boffo didn’t understand half the things Linksano would go on about, he could tell that Linksano was brilliant. Brilliant and eloquent and determined and creative and clever. Not to mention, buried underneath layers of snark and aloofness, he was kind and gentle and good-hearted, even if he did work very hard at keeping these aspects hidden away.

Linksano was also sad. Very, very sad. That’s why Boffo liked it best when he smiled.

Linksano had a very interesting assortment of smiles to offer, and Boffo had been lucky enough to observe them all. There was the wide, manic smile he got whenever talking about his areas of expertise, which was almost always followed by a sharp cackle of glee; then a wry grin he showed when saying something sarcastic; as well as a small, rarely lasting smile he would display when something amused him, which only sometimes warranted a small, genuine chuckle from him.

Boffo’s favorite was the even rarer awkward smile, which told him that while nervous, Linksano was actually happy about whatever situation was currently happening. It was the smile he’d shown after saying what he was grateful for at Thanksgiving, and the smile he’d given Boffo after complimenting him on his piano skills. Boffo recalled that night at the cabin and closed his eyes as the butterflies returned to battle away the sick sensation in his stomach.

There was also the flustered half-smile, half-grimace which Linksano only gave when he was very embarrassed about something. That smile was haunting Boffo every time he closed his eyes. Even though he’d tried so hard to make Linksano feel happy, he’d ruined it all with that stupid, thoughtless kiss, and that even dumber, more thoughtless remark about it being a joke. He’d brought out that horrible false smile onto the scientist’s face and probably destroyed his Christmas.

Boffo felt ill once again and beat at the sides of his head in frustration. How could he have done that? Why couldn’t he have controlled himself? He’d just been so sad to hear Linksano say that no one would want to kiss him… that wasn’t right, wasn’t true at all. Then, Linksano had look so resigned to the fact that it was right, and would be true for the rest of his life. Boffo had only wanted to show him that there was someone who cared about him…

No, that wasn’t entirely true. Boffo had also been allowing his desires to control his actions. He’d wanted that kiss from the moment he saw Linksano standing under the mistletoe, and he’d stolen it without a second thought before trying to brush it off as meaningless. Boffo knew he deserved to be punished for such cruel actions, and if that punishment meant Linksano never seeing him as anything other than an insensitive teammate, then he would accept it.

He’d been coming on too strong anyway. The card trick was one thing - he could easily make cards and perform slights of hand, the others knew that - but the cocoa, specifically tailored to Linksano’s unique taste buds, and the ice-skating… oh, the ice-skating. Boffo blushed again as he recalled that day at the pond where he’d been allowed for a few short moments to hold the scientist’s hand. He was grateful Linksano had been so focused on trying to stay upright, or else he might have noticed how red Boffo’s face had been, and not from the cold. Boffo had been going out of his way to try to make Linksano smile for him, and he was sure that if the other man knew about everything he’d been doing, and how much it involved watching Linksano when he wasn’t paying attention, Linksano would hate him even more than he did now.

Linksano hated him. Boffo’s stomach churned and he exhaled sharply. Even if he hadn’t said or done anything to indicate this fact, Boffo knew it must be true. He’d wanted so much to see Linksano’s face light up, to see that awkward, happy smile directed at him, and now it was never to be.

Knowing that if he allowed himself to dwell on such things any longer he would burst into tears, Boffo pulled his head up and stood, determined to go to bed and hopefully sleep without dreaming that night. He reached over to shut off his computer, but a message in his inbox caught his eye.

Dan had been emailing him ever since they’d all returned from their Christmas vacation together. Boffo had grown quite fond of Dan while he was staying with them in November, and playing board games with him and 90s Kid at the cabin had made him like Dan’s company even more. Dan had also been the only one who hadn’t bought Boffo’s claims about the kiss being a joke. That’s why Boffo had been trying to explain just why he’d done it, without going into too many embarrassing details, like his whole spiel on Linksano’s many smiles, or how he loved it when he passed by the bathroom and caught snippets of the scientist’s singing. Curious as to what he had to say, Boffo sat back down and clicked on the message.

_Greetings, my colorful friend!_

_How have you been today? I’m doing more than well, since Dolly has been teaching me more and more about this whole Internet business. I had some trouble with a chat room, though, so be careful about how you word requests to find long-lost friends if you ever stumble into one of those._

_Anyway, I wanted to offer my sympathies for your tale of romantic woe. I too have known the pain that comes with feeling strongly for a friend and being uncertain if he feels the same for you. Unfortunately, your kiss of destiny did not end the same way as mine, and I’m sure you both must be feeling uncomfortable as you try to figure out what you should do next. All I can suggest is that you try to smooth things over and let the doctor know that you won’t be going any further with your affections for him. I still think you should try again, but you know your heart and his better than I do, so I’ll leave it to you, my friend. Hopefully, once you’ve made amends, you and he can return to a state of friendship that, if not fully satisfying, is at least tolerable for you both._

_Good luck, my friend. I’ll catch you later._

_80s Dan_

Boffo nodded as he took in Dan’s words. Even though he’d decided to bury his feelings for Linksano, he still needed to make things right between them for the sake of the others, and for their own sakes. Boffo had to apologize and let Linksano know that he would leave him alone from then on. Normally he would have apologized for an offense he’d caused right away, but Linksano had locked himself into his lab and Boffo hadn’t felt right about disturbing him. He’d also been dreading having to look Linksano in the face again, and even now the thought of staring at what would surely be a frown made his stomach churn worse than before.

A note then. Boffo was pretty good at explaining himself with words, and he could just slip it under the door to the lab, so Linksano could read it at his own pace. He would apologize for everything and let the scientist know that he wouldn’t have to fear Boffo humiliating him, or even associating with him, from then on.

Boffo finished it almost an hour later and even though he couldn’t read it without feeling like he might be sick, he knew it was what Linksano needed to read. As quickly as he could, Boffo scurried down the stairs and over to the door leading down to the lab. He sucked in a deep breath, folded the note in half, and slid it under the crack. Then, feeling thoroughly exhausted, he plodded back to his room for a night of deep sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

One thing people would be surprised to learn about Linksano was how he’d always admired clowns.

He’d honestly never understood those poor souls who found them puzzling or scary. Linksano had never had a bad thought to think about them whenever he’d visited the carnival or the circus with Wayne, or seen them marching along in a parade. Instead, Linksano had always been slightly enthralled by the brightly dressed performers as they entertained and entranced audiences with acrobatics and slapstick. Whenever he’d seen a clown, he couldn’t help but feel joyful thanks to its playful antics, and he couldn’t recall a time one hadn’t brought a smile to his face. Of course, he’d never admitted this to anyone but Wayne, since liking clowns was just another way to mark a kid as a dork, and Linksano already had enough strikes against him among his peers to be labeled a dork for life. Nevertheless, he continued to admire clowns and how happy they seemed while spreading happiness to others.

Now, whenever he thought of one clown in particular, he felt not joy, but awkwardness and nervousness and a bizarre burning sensation that started in his chest and quickly spread to the rest of his body.

“Oh, what is the matter with me?” Linksano moaned as he lay on top of one of his lab tables. He’d been down in his lab ever since returning home from the cabin, working on some gigantic cybermat that was much too large to actually function as cybermats were intended to, but Linksano didn’t especially care. He just needed something to do, something to work on so his mind would be occupied and not filled with thoughts that made his whole body incredibly hot. Still, the thoughts continued to creep into his mind. Linksano had gone so far as to pull off his jacket and gloves in the quest for relief, and was currently pressing his forehead against the cool, black surface of the table, but nothing seemed to work. “Why does this happen whenever I think about… about…”

Linksano blushed and closed his eyes, not even able to form the name Boffo on his lips. He squirmed as an image of the clown flashed into his mind and he tried yet again to make sense of the baffling events that had taken place mere days ago.

During the past month or so, Boffo, who had always been kind to everyone, had been especially kind to him. He had tried to help him feel better on many occasions without ever offering him an unkind word or playfully insulting Linksano, as the others were wont to do. In fact, Boffo never had a bad thing to say about Linksano, only compliments that made the scientist blush and doubt whether he deserved to hear them. He’d never seemed interested in teasing him at all.

Not until that incident with the mistletoe.

“Oh…” Linksano blushed again and brought his hand to his cheek without thinking.

He had received very few kisses in his life that weren’t from family members. Linksano remembered kissing a girl once on a schoolyard dare when he was very young, before being pushed into a mud puddle, and... nope, that was all of them. He supposed that made sense, though. He hadn’t ever tried to pursue romance after Spoonette had rejected him. If he couldn’t have her, he didn’t want anyone else.

But, as Linksano spent several days locked in his lab working and pondering over things, he started thinking that perhaps it would be nice to feel something like what he’d felt for Spoonette again. Maybe it would be nice to have someone he could talk to, someone he could visit his favorite places with, someone he could touch and kiss…

Linksano whimpered as he recalled the sensation of lips pressed against his cheek. They had been so soft and warm, yet powerful enough to spark something inside Linksano. Something that had died as quickly as it had been created after Boffo had insisted he was joking around.

“A joke,” Linksano repeated in a croak of a voice, as if the words were strangling him. “That’s what someone thinks of when the idea to kiss me arises… that it’s a joke. I’m a joke. Of course. I was perfectly correct before. No one would want to kiss me… Boffo was being nice out of sympathy for my wretched life, I’m sure… he must see how pathetic and hopeless I am. His kindness must have been pity… who wouldn’t pity me?”

Boffo’s smiling face floated through his mind again and Linksano squirmed once more before rolling over onto his back.

“Oh, I’ve been down here all night again,” he said with a sigh as he caught sight of sunlight streaming in through the small window on the opposite side of the room. “I’d better acquire some food before everyone comes down for breakfast.” Everyone really meant Boffo, but Linksano felt better not acknowledging that. As he yawned and trudged up the stairs, Linksano stopped on the top step when a folded piece of paper caught his eye.

“Eh? What’s this?” Linksano lifted the paper and unfolded it. As he began to read, he recognized the rounded, slightly childish letters, and his heart started beating more quickly.

_Dear Linksano,_

_Words cannot adequately convey how very sorry I am for what happened at the cabin, but I am still going to try my best to explain and apologize to you._

_In the first place, I am extremely sorry for kissing you without receiving your permission. I was acting foolishly and allowing my impulses to control me instead of my head. I promise you I won’t ever allow that to happen again, so I hope you can accept my apology for behaving so poorly._

_In the second place, I am even sorrier for calling the kiss a joke. I did not think it was a joke at all, nor do I think you are a joke. That is actually the opposite of what I think. I know I must have hurt you very badly when I said that. After I saw your reaction to my thoughtless kiss, I thought that it might make things easier for everyone if I lied and said that the kiss was just a joke. I know now that this was the wrong thing to say and I wish more than anything that I could take it back._

_I can’t forgive myself for hurting and embarrassing you like I did, so I can understand if you can’t forgive me either. If there is anything I could do to earn your forgiveness, then please tell me and I will do it at once. I hate knowing that I have caused you to feel sad and hurt, and I will say I am sorry for the rest of my life if that is what would make you happy. Or, if you’d prefer, I will avoid you and never force you to interact with me again, if that would make you happy. I would do anything if it would make you happy again._

_I’m so very, very sorry._

_Boffo_


	3. Chapter 3

Linksano read the note over and over again, at least thirty times, before the words truly started sinking in for him. No one had ever written an apology letter to him before. No one had ever expressed such sorrow and regret over hurting him, not even Wayne, and no one had ever said they would do anything to make him happy.

Linksano’s fingers started trembling and the note began to crumple in his fingers. He parted his lips to speak, then closed them, then opened them, and then he sucked in a breath.

“It wasn’t… a joke?”

Linksano’s eyes darted back to that part of the letter.

“It wasn’t a joke… I’m not a joke… it’s the opposite?” Linksano lowered his arms and thought about this. “The opposite of a joke would be an entirely serious situation. Meaning Boffo was serious about the kiss and about me… meaning… he seriously wanted to kiss me?”

Linksano felt that dizzying sensation overtake him again and he stumbled back down the stairs before he fell, clutching onto the desk before him as he struggled to breathe.

“Hah! Hah! S-so… so… Boffo… he doesn’t think… I’m a joke? H-he doesn’t think… I’m pitiable? He wanted to k-k-kiss me?” Linksano’s face grew so hot that he thought his goggles would steam up. His whole body felt light and increasingly warm and he didn’t quite know what exactly he should do. He’d never dreamed something like this could happen to him, not after everything he’d done, because how could a coward and a fool like him ever find someone who would be seriously interested in kissing him?

“Wait a moment.” Linksano looked back down at the note. “Maybe he meant it wasn’t a joke… because he was seriously following the traditions of mistletoe. He did say something to that end as well before the whole joke claim.” Linksano frowned and re-read the note yet again, while his insides seemed to freeze up at this possibility. “I… I must know what he really meant.”

Unable to not know a moment longer, Linksano scrambled back up the stairs, out onto the first floor, and then up the next set of stairs before he arrived at the door to Boffo’s room. Panting slightly, he pounded on the door until Boffo pulled it open with a look of confusion that morphed into shock, and then embarrassment as he saw it was Linksano on the other end. Linksano didn’t notice how he quickly looked down at the floor, since he was too busy focusing on the words he wanted to say.

“Boffo, when you said in your note that k-kissing me was the opposite of a joke, did you mean that you were serious about following the traditions of mistletoe, o-or that you were serious about wanting to, um, to kiss me?”

Boffo glanced back up at him, still looking confused and flustered, before he held up two fingers. Linksano stared at them a moment.

“So… the second reason? You… you wanted to kiss me?” Boffo blushed again but nodded. Linksano swallowed thickly. “S-so therefore, I can conclude that you don’t pity me, but you… you actually l-l-like me?” Again, Boffo nodded. “Oh.” Linksano’s face went red once more and he quickly turned around. “Um, yes, th-thank you for your time.”

Boffo watched him scurry back down the stairs and out of sight before he closed the door to his room and dove onto his bed, burying his face in his pillow.

Once he was back in the lab, Linksano came to two startling realizations. One, he must be in worse shape than he’d thought, since this small excursion up and down the stairs had left him trembling and panting as if he’d just run a marathon. And two, that his lips were curved up into such a wide smile that his cheeks were starting to hurt from the strain. Yet, Linksano found he didn’t care. He didn’t really care about anything right now, not a thing except for the letter in his hands. Linksano brought it up to read once more, but this time he couldn’t focus as a high-pitched giggle burst forth from within him.

“He… he likes me. He wanted to kiss me a-and then he did…” Linksano closed his eyes, remembering how that thrill of electricity had coursed through him from the simple touch, and goosebumps arose across his body. “I never thought… never even imagined…”

Linksano paused in his revelry when he caught sight of the whiteboard covered in maps and charts and a picture he’d gazed at longingly ever since he’d journeyed away from his home universe. Linksano padded over so he could look clearly into the faces of the two people who meant the most to him.

“Wayne… Spoonette… how long has it been since I’ve seen you? Much too long for me, I’m certain, although I doubt the same could be said for you. I’m sure married life has kept you so occupied that you rarely have the time to think of me, even though my thoughts have always been focused on you. Wayne,” he continued, focusing his gaze solely on the image of his brother now, “I miss you more than is bearable sometimes. I would love nothing more than to find a way to return to you, and to see that you are safe and happy in the life you’ve made for yourself. And yet… a part of me hopes I might never be able to return… because a part of me is still angry that you ended up with the only woman I’ve ever loved.” Linksano’s voice trembled slightly but he kept his gaze steady as he moved it toward the golden-haired woman.

“Spoonette… I’ve loved you for approximately half my life, but you never felt anything more than friendship for me. It didn’t matter what I did, or what accomplishments I achieved; it was never enough. You chose Wayne and the two of you fell into wedded bliss without a second thought to me. While I was happy for you both, seeing my two most cherished people finding love with each other… I was also miserable. And I’ve continued to be miserable ever since. Why should I bother with happiness when what truly would have made me happy would forever elude me? I was resigned to a life without fulfillment and… without you.” Spoonette’s eyes bore into Linksano’s, as calm and green as the sea on a clear day.

“H-however,” he continued, his voice shaking, as did his hands. “I-I find that circumstances have changed because s-someone has expressed an interest in my happiness for the first time in quite a long time. Remember when we used to visit the circus and the carnival and laugh at the clowns, Wayne? They were always quite skilled at making us smile, making us happy… and now there is one clown who seems to be especially interested in making me happy. I-I’m not entirely sure why… perhaps I should have asked him that instead of running off like a mad man,” Linksano acknowledged, blushing slightly as he recalled how undignified and bizarre that meeting must have seemed. “N-nevertheless, I am quite certain he was speaking the truth and since this is a truth which is making my chest feel as if it is being filled with warm syrup, I have decided that I... I shall...”

Linksano trailed off, his face heating up even more as he considered what he was going to do. A slight burst of panic blossomed in his chest, but then he turned and shook his head wildly.

“No! I mustn’t let nerves get the best of me again! I waited so long to confess to Spoonette only to be shot down… I won’t let myself suffer because of uncertainty again!” Feeling more determined now, Linksano went to his desk to check the date. “New Year’s Eve is in two days. That should be enough time to work up the courage to ask Boffo… to ask him to accompany me on a d-d-d-d… on a d-d-d-d… oh dear, this is going to be harder than I thought.”

\-----

A short time later, Linksano was sitting at the breakfast table spreading peanut butter over his toast. Peanut butter was his most favorite food of all, and he enjoyed consuming peanuts, peanut butter sandwiches, and peanut-filled candies whenever he could. It was also a comfort food, and one which never failed to calm him down when he was anxious or upset, which is why Linksano took an especially big bite as he sat and waited for Boffo to appear.

“Mmm,” he sighed softly, savoring the delicious creamy texture. Could there be any creation better in this or any universe than peanut butter? As he continued to chew, Linksano stared at the doorway until finally a rainbow-headed man stepped into the kitchen.

Boffo froze and stared at him again, obviously uncertain about what he should do, while Linksano forgot all the words he’d been practicing in the lab, not to mention chewing, and stared back at him. Eventually someone had to move, and it was Boffo as he hurried forward to pull a few juice boxes from the fridge. He honked out something incomprehensible that was supposed to be an apology, before he more clearly communicated that he was simply grabbing some items for work and would be out of the way in a moment.

“Mmm!” Not wanting to lose this chance, Linksano swallowed and forced himself to try to speak. “Mmmf!” He frowned, realizing that he could not speak more than a mumble, and found it almost impossible to open his jaw. _“Oh, blast it! The peanut butter is sticking to the roof of my mouth! Curse you, George Washington Carver!”_

Linksano reached out desperately for the orange juice, but Boffo had already fled into the living room by now and Linksano groaned as he heard the front door slam shut. _“Oh, why has my palate betrayed me so? Blasted delectable peanut butter. Okay, calm down, you still have the rest of today to attempt this, and even tomorrow if you so need. You can do this… I-I can do this…”_

\-----

When Boffo returned from the hospital, Linksano was on the couch watching television. He didn’t normally watch programs in the middle of the afternoon, so he’d had to bribe 90s Kid with a glow-in-the-dark super large Super Ball he’d created so that the teen would agree to record his cartoons for later viewing. After hearing the door close, Linksano turned off the TV and jumped up as he faced the clown.

“Boffo! P-please, um, would you not leave, er, quite yet? I, uh, have something to discuss with you, if you’d enjoy that.” Linksano cringed at how once again his carefully prepared speech had flown out of his mind and left him sounding like a fool, but Boffo was too busy staring at the carpet to notice. He nodded at Linksano’s words, though, which already left the scientist feeling more relieved.

“Oh, um, thank you, Boffo. Perhaps we could, er, sit down here for our discussion?”

Boffo nodded again before taking a seat on the end of the couch. Linksano watched this and hesitated, wondering if Boffo would be upset if he sat down on the couch as well, before he gave in to his nerves and took a seat in the chair beside it instead.

“Um, s-so, well then.” Linksano fidgeted as he spoke, and noticed that Boffo also seemed tense. “I first wanted to reassure you that, um, I am not mad at you over what happened when… well, you know,” he finished, blushing slightly. “I admit I was somewhat upset at first, because I thought I had been the victim of some prank, but now that I’ve learned that wasn’t the case, I, um, I’m not mad at you, Boffo.”

Linksano opened his mouth to continue when he realized Boffo was now staring at him. He flushed and looked down this time while Boffo asked a question with his horn.

“What? Of course I still wish to associate with you!” Linksano exclaimed, looking very shocked by the query. “I mean it when I say I’m not mad! I don’t want you to avoid me from now on, Boffo,” he continued, glancing back up to find Boffo still staring at him. Linksano blushed but forced his gaze to remain steady. “I know you offered to keep your distance from me, but that isn’t what I want at all. Lately I have very much enjoyed your company, Boffo, so you needn’t fear that I will push you away… I forgive you entirely for what happened and I… I…”

Boffo’s face had broken out into a wide smile by this point and Linksano had to look back down as that dizzying sensation overtook him again. He sucked in a breath and tried to compose himself, but before he could speak Boffo honked out a few more words on his horn, which translated to: _“I am so relieved to hear that. Having your forgiveness means quite a lot to me, and I’m even more grateful that you still wish to associate with me as your friend. I promise from now on to respect your boundaries, Linksano, and I will never put you into such an uncomfortable position again.”_

“Um, w-wait, Boffo,” Linksano stuttered, the words coming out with even more difficulty now. “I-I, er, I have s-something else to s-say.” Linksano took a breath and fiddled with his gloves as he tried to recall the words he’d said several times to the bathroom mirror. “That’s n-not what I… I didn’t m-mean for… um, oh, let’s see, what was it?” Boffo tilted his head curiously, which made him look rather adorable and Linksano had to look down at his lap again for a moment. “What I mean is… I have been c-considering… the possibility of… if you are even remotely i-interested still… would y-you like to…?”

“Boffo-dude!” 90s Kid shouted as he landed at the bottom of the stairs, the shock of which almost gave Linksano chest palpitations. “You’re finally home, man! You still, like, up for blasting some space demons on my Genesis?”

Boffo nodded and honked an affirmation to the promise he’d made with the teen earlier that day. He looked back to Linksano then and was surprised to see he’d jumped up and was turned away from him.

“Oh, th-that’s alright, Boffo, please honor the commitment you’ve made,” Linksano said in a slightly high-pitched voice. “I-I really didn’t have anything of importance to say.”

Boffo honked uncertainly at this but Linksano insisted. It wasn’t like he could speak in front of 90s Kid anyway. Finally Boffo shrugged and honked a few last words of gratitude over Linksano forgiving him before he turned and followed 90s Kid up the stairs.

Linksano sighed and flopped back down onto the couch in defeat. “Why is it so damn hard to ask a single question?” he muttered, rubbing his hands over his face in aggravation. “And why is this house always so full of people?”

“What’s up, doc?”

Linksano groaned as Harvey, Linkara, and Ninja-Style Dancer came into the room.

“I am taking a break from my work. That is all,” Linksano said curtly, not in the mood for conversation.

“Alrighty then.” Harvey turned to Linkara with a smile. “So, Kid, you excited for New Year’s Eve?”

“You bet, Harvey. Are we still all going out to the karaoke bar?” Harvey gave him a look and Linkara chuckled. “You’re right, stupid question.” He suddenly wrapped his arms around Harvey’s waist and looked into his eyes playfully. “I’m especially looking forward to one thing that’s happening this New Year’s Eve very much…”

“Hmm, I wonder what that could be?” Harvey grinned, putting his arms around Linkara as well. Linksano wished they would take their annoying displays of affection out of his line of sight. “Let me guess. The champagne? The music? Or maybe it’s because you’ll get to be my first smooch of the New Year?” Linkara’s eyes twinkled as he heard the last part while Linksano flushed at the topic of kissing.

“So, erm… k-kisses are a part of the New Year’s Eve tradition, correct?” he asked, his voice quivering slightly. Harvey looked over at him as if he’d just asked what color the sky was.

“Naturally, doc. Everyone knows you get a kiss at the stroke of midnight. It’s not only romantic, but also one of the best good luck charms there is.” Harvey suddenly swept Linkara into an embrace and kissed him passionately. “But it’s always good to get in plenty of practice, of course.”

Linksano soon found himself blushing furiously as he imagined standing beside Boffo when the new year began, closing his eyes, and leaning in close…

*The good luck that comes from kisses is magical, indeed.* Ninja-Style Dancer held up, sighing dreamily. *It will ensure victory in any battle, regardless of training or skill. Few are able to resist its power.*

“Um, yes, the power of k-k-kissing is certainly unmatched. I believe not even science can come close to, um, rivaling it,” Linksano started babbling before he realized that the others were staring at him. “W-well I must be off now! Toodles!” They watched as Linksano jumped off the couch and scurried back down into his lab before turning to each other in confusion.

“Pollo, can you check the ventilation systems in the lab?” Linkara called out as the robot hovered into the room. “I’m worried that Linksano is breathing in too many fumes down there.”

\-----

Late that night, Linksano ventured into the kitchen for a late night snack. After giving up on his plan to ask Boffo on a date for the day, since it seemed they were destined not have a moment alone again, he’d decided to go to sleep early and try once more the next morning, before Boffo left for the hospital.

This plan had ended when Linksano discovered after two restless hours that he was too anxious to sleep, so he spent his time reading some of his favorite biographies instead. Eventually he’d grown hungry and decided a snack might settle his stomach and his nerves, so that he’d be properly prepared to speak to the clown the next day.

Of course, as soon as Linksano entered the kitchen, he almost walked right into Boffo.

“Ah! I-I’m so sorry!” Linksano stuttered at once as he hurriedly walked backwards from the other man.

Boffo shook his head and smiled, signifying that he was okay, before he offered a plate of cookies to Linksano. He seemed much more relaxed now that Linksano had forgiven him, but this only served to make the scientist more flustered.

“Oh, uh, no thank you. I’m not really hungry.” Boffo raised an eyebrow, and Linksano knew he was wondering why he would come into the kitchen if he weren’t hungry. But instead of asking, Boffo merely smiled again before picking up his glass of milk for a drink.

Linksano felt the overwhelming urge to just run out of the room, but no, he had to stop doing that. He would never get anywhere if he kept making the same mistakes over and over again, so he took a second to clear his mind before he spoke.

“Boffo, I… I’m glad that I ran into you again, because I… I still have something I want to say.” Boffo put down his glass and turned to Linksano curiously. Linksano kept his gaze downwards, and his fingers tapped at the counter nervously. “You’ve been so v-very nice to me,” he began, in a low, soft tone, “and I didn’t really understand why… and then at the cabin, you… you k-kissed me and I didn’t understand why either, because I could never even conceive that… that you might…” He paused and looked back up at Boffo, feeling horrified when he saw the clown looking very embarrassed and backing slowly away from him. “No! P-please don’t leave, Boffo!” Linksano cried, bounding towards him. “I-I’m trying to say that I enjoyed it! I enjoyed all those nice things you’ve done for me and I enjoyed the kiss! Honestly, I did! I-I know I reacted as if I didn’t, but you must believe me when I say I haven’t been able to get it out of my mind since it happened! I-I haven’t been able to get you out of my mind either, Boffo!” Linksano looked down again as he started to tremble. “A-and if I weren’t so pitifully shy, I would have already asked you out on this blasted date already!”

He gasped as the words slipped out. This time he did turn to run out of the kitchen, but a tug on the sleeve of his coat stopped him. Linksano peered back at Boffo, watching as the clown pointed to his mouth and indicated that Linksano should keep talking. His eyes were wide but twinkly, and Linksano felt encouraged to continue speaking.

“What I mean to say is… if you don’t have any plans for this New Year’s Eve… w-w-w-would you… do me the honor of… accompanying m-me… out on a… a d-d-d-date?”

Linksano couldn’t help closing his eyes, cringing at the sound of his own stammering. He was sure that Boffo was desperately trying to keep from laughing at him, so after gathering his courage, he opened his eyes to see how amused the clown must be. Well, he’d managed to hold back his laughter at least, though his smile seemed especially wide as he nodded his head at Linksano.

The scientist let out a dejected sigh. “I figured that when push came to shove, you would-eh? Wait, are you nodding yes?” Boffo nodded even more enthusiastically, and his face seemed to be glowing as he looked at Linksano.

“Oh!” Linksano was stunned into silence before he broke out into that awkward, shy smile that Boffo loved best. “W-well then. I suppose, um, we shall attend the party together. On a d-d-date. Um, yes, s-splendid.”

Boffo kept nodding and smiling like a bobblehead doll, which Linksano again found somewhat adorable.

“So, um, I should… go get some sleep, since I figure we’ll be up late soon enough as it is. That is often what people do at these parties, correct? Being up until midnight is a necessity, I know-although that shouldn’t be a problem, since it is midnight now and we are still both wide awake-but not when I go to my room and start sleeping, as I told you I would do just a moment ago!” Linksano blushed again as he started babbling before he gave one final nod to Boffo. “Um yes, so g-good night to you, Boffo, and, um, pleasant dreams and all that.”

Linksano walked quickly back up into his bedroom and climbed under the covers. He still wasn’t tired, but he couldn’t think of what else he should be doing. All he could think about was what had just happened.

“I… I have a date. I actually have a date. With someone who wants to be on it as well. I have a date… someone wants to date me.”

Linksano pulled the covers up over his head and giggled deliriously for quite some time.


	4. Chapter 4

On the morning of the 31st of December, Linksano locked himself in the bathroom of Comicron-1 for several hours. He didn’t want to risk annoying the other members of the team by hogging the regular bathroom for so long, or worse, having them accidentally walk in before he was finished primping. Primping which consisted mostly of Linksano trying to comb his hair into different, more interesting styles that never seemed to stay in place thanks to his extremely short cut and his lack of experience using hair products, but nevertheless, he still wanted complete privacy as he did his best to make himself presentable.

Boffo, on the other hand, gave only a quick glance into the mirror before smiling and setting out to complete his checklist. After a good acrobatic workout and a shower, he paid a visit to Ninja-Style Dancer’s room, and then went out to finish purchasing some items he would need once the new year began. Boffo visited five stores in record time, beaming brightly all the while. He felt more energetic than he had in ages, and happier than he ever thought he could be, which is why instead of walking he skipped along the sidewalks, much to the confusion of his fellow shoppers. When he had finished shopping, Boffo stopped into one last store for the most important purchase of the day. Once he had it securely in his arms, he checked the time and felt a warm sense joy spread throughout his chest as he hurried home. It was finally time to pick up his date.

“Nice skipping there, Chuckles. What are you so chipper for?”

Boffo slipped his most important purchase into one of the hidden pockets of his jacket before he closed the front door and turned around to face Harvey, Linkara, and Ninja-Style Dancer. He smiled and honked his horn several times with great enthusiasm in response. Linkara, who’d been sitting beside the singer on the couch and frowning as he stared at his phone, looked up to raise an eyebrow at him.

“I know New Year’s is a time for celebrating, but I don’t know too many people who are that excited about it.” Boffo smiled and shrugged good-naturedly. There wasn’t anything that could bring him down at that moment.

“Duuudes, are we gonna hit karaoke yet?” 90s Kid asked as he came into the living room. “Dan called me and he’s ready for me to get him, so, like, can we go now?”

“Yeah, I guess we should get there early so all the tables aren’t taken,” Linkara agreed as everyone stood up and headed for the door. 

*Wait, what about Linksano? Shouldn’t we tell him we’re leaving?*

Boffo quickly honked out that he would take on the task, since there was something he wanted to ask him about anyway.

“Thanks, Boffo. We’ll save you a spot at the table,” Linkara said with a nod before the group teleported out of the living room. Boffo sighed with relief that he and Linksano had been left behind without concern. Even though he wasn’t one for keeping secrets from his friends, he wasn’t sure that Linksano was comfortable with the others knowing about their plans, especially plans that might not mean anything after the night was over. There was really no reason to alert the others if their evening didn’t go well and Linksano decided he’d rather not pursue a relationship with him.

Boffo felt his stomach churn just thinking about that outcome. No, it was best to be positive for now and not assume things would end before they could begin. This was his chance, his one chance to spend time with Linksano and show him just how much he wanted to be together with him. Boffo felt a flutter in his chest again as he reached into his coat and pulled out his precious item, making sure it hadn’t been smooshed by any of the other magic trick components he kept in there. Then he pulled out the note cards he’d borrowed from Ninja-Style Dancer and pen, writing until he was satisfied. Finally, Boffo picked up his accoutrements, nodded in determination, and headed up the stairs. 

\-----

Linksano almost fell out of his chair when he heard the gentle knocking on his bedroom door.

“C-coming!” He walked unsteadily across the room and took a few shaky breaths as he tried to keep calm and collected. This didn’t seem to be working, though, and his palms were so soaked with sweat that his fingers slipped off the doorknob three times before he could grasp it properly to open it. When he did, a blushing Boffo was revealed before him, holding a white cue card with roundish writing upon it in one hand, and a bouquet of bright purple orchids in the other.

_Hello Linksano. I am very happy to see you. I’m also very happy to get this chance to spend time with you and learn more about you. I hope you feel the same way. I know we don’t know each other very well, but I think that will change tonight. Thank you again for asking me on this date. You don’t know how happy that made me. Please accept this bouquet of orchids as a token of my affection. I heard they are suitable gifts for people with allergies, so I hope you enjoy them._

“Oh…” Linksano felt overwhelmed as he took everything in. The card with such lovely words upon it, the present picked just for him, the shy but hopeful look on Boffo’s face as he watched Linksano for a reaction - all of it was causing his heart to beat even faster as a strange sensation started to overtake him. Only the next day did Linksano identify that sensation as unbridled joy.

“Flowers? F-for me? Oh! Y-you really shouldn’t have! I-I mean, I love them, I truly think they’re beautiful, but you shouldn’t go spending your hard earned wages on my account! Oh, but I suppose I shouldn’t be telling you what you should be doing, because that’s awfully bossy of me, isn’t it? Well then, if you’d like to choose to spend your wages on presents, then that’s perfectly acceptable. N-not that I require presents! Of course I don’t! I am perfectly happy with the simple things in life, such as this beautiful bouquet you have. Oh! B-but I don’t mean simple in a bad way, because I’m sure you put great thought and effort into this choice, even though you really shouldn’t waste such precious mental resources worrying about me, since I do enough worrying about myself for two men at least!”

Fully red-faced now, Linksano finally managed to clamp his jaw shut when he realized Boffo’s shoulders were shaking slightly as he silently laughed to himself. Linksano lowered his head.

“I… I am so sorry for that. I am prone to bursts of logorrhea when I’m nervous and I can’t seem to control them once they’ve started. If you’ve changed your mind about the date, I completely understand.”

Boffo’s eyebrows shot up and he hurriedly turned over the cue card he was holding before scribbling something on the back, which he then presented to Linksano.

_No, I haven’t changed my mind at all! I’m sorry to have laughed, but I was enjoying your words so much that I couldn’t help feeling happy. Please don’t think this means that I don’t want to go out tonight. I actually enjoy listening to you talk. Some people are so nervous around me that they stop talking and I much prefer talking to silence, so please don’t feel bad about it._

Linksano studied the note before looking uncertainly to Boffo. “Y-you’re saying you actually enjoy it when I babble?” Boffo blushed once more before nodding. That strange, later-identified as joyful sensation returned inside the scientist and he let out a soft, high-pitched giggle. “Hee! A-alright then, I suppose I needn’t worry about being too talkative tonight.” Boffo quickly shook his head no and watched with relief as Linksano started to relax. He offered the bouquet again, a questioning look in his eyes.

“Oh! Y-yes, I haven’t accepted these yet, how silly of me.” Linksano quickly took the orchids and set them into a flask he filled with water. “They are quite beautiful and I appreciate how you took into account my allergies. Thank you so very much, Boffo.”

Boffo fidgeted happily at these words before quickly writing out _You are very welcome._ Linksano took better notice of the cards the clown now held and peered at them curiously.

“You borrowed these from Ninja-Style Dancer,” he quickly deduced, which a head nod and another card that already had a pre-written message on it confirmed.

_I thought it might be difficult to communicate with only my horn tonight, so I asked Ninja if I could borrow some of these. I don’t have the ability to write on them as quickly as he does, so I apologize if I have to make you wait for a response this evening._

“Oh, no need to apologize, it’s perfectly understandable,” Linksano replied. Boffo looked up to offer him a warm smile and Linksano knew his face was heating up again, so he quickly ran a hand through his hair, which he never did end up changing. “I-I hope I look appropriate for the evening. I’m not big on fashion trends, but I think I’ve done a decent job.”

A decent job translated into Linksano wearing the exact same black shirt, pants, gloves, and boots he always wore under his trusty trench coat, but adding a bright red, velvet bow tie that really stood out against the other drab colors, and made Linksano look somehow even nerdier than he usually did. To everyone that wasn’t Boffo, that is.

_I think you look wonderful. I really like your bow tie. I think bright colors suit you._

“Y-you do?” Linksano grinned rather awkwardly at the compliment and straightened his bow tie with pride. “Thank you, Boffo. Perhaps I should wear colors more often. Did you know that I have a large collection of these neck ribbons in every hue imaginable?”

_I didn’t. I would enjoy seeing you wear them._

“Thank you, Boffo.” This time Linksano fidgeted with happiness at Boffo’s words. He was still very nervous about how the night would go, but so far things were unfolding in a very pleasant manner and he felt encouraged about spending time with Boffo and learning more about him, per the suggestion in his note. “Uh, s-so, shall we set off, then? I’m sure the others will grow worried if we don’t make an appearance soon.”

Boffo nodded and bowed slightly as he extended one arm, gesturing for Linksano to lead the way. Linksano giggled softly again before walking over beside the clown. They each pulled out their teleporters and turned to each other to mouth and speak the countdown.

“Three. Two. One. Go!”

\-----

Even though midnight was hours away, the karaoke club was already crowded beyond belief with excited people eager to ring in the new year together, and already tipsy from the half-priced drinks at the bar. Linksano frowned in mild disgust as he and Boffo maneuvered their way through swarms of drunken people into an empty table in the very back of the establishment.

Fortunately, Linksano felt relieved again when he and Boffo took their seats, but then he frowned and covered his ears as an especially tone-deaf young man sang a rendition of ‘Hit Me With Your Best Shot’.

“I would gladly oblige,” he muttered before realizing Boffo was still watching him. “O-oh, I mean… um, w-would you like a drink, Boffo? I know you don’t care for alcohol, but this establishment has a number of sodas and water.”

_I would enjoy a glass of ginger ale, thanks._

“Understood. I shall be right back.” Boffo watched Linksano attempt to squeeze his way through the crowds, grumbling all the while, before he reached down to pinch his thigh. As a small bit of pain blossomed up, the clown couldn’t help grinning widely. Nope, he still wasn’t dreaming. His night out with Doctor Linksano was actually happening. Boffo looked down at the table again, specifically at the round, white candle glowing softly in the middle of it, and felt as if his insides were glowing as well.

Almost unable to contain his glee, Boffo decided to try and calm down by focusing on locating the other members of the team. He soon found them, plus 80s Dan, sitting around a large table near the stage and he waved to alert them of his presence. Linkara and 90s Kid soon waved back, much to Boffo’s relief, while Dan watched Linksano make his way back to their table with two drinks before he gave Boffo a thumb’s up gesture. Boffo blushed and nodded in acknowledgement. He’d already told Dan everything in his last email anyway, and he felt good knowing he had someone who was supportive of him there that night.

“Here you are.” Linksano set down the glasses before sliding back into his seat. As he and Boffo sipped their beverages, Linksano's thoughts began to speed up as he searched for an interesting topic of conversation to engage in with Boffo.

_“Hmm, let’s see. What do I know about Boffo? First and foremost, he’s a clown. He enjoys many activities related to clowning, including juggling, making shapes with balloons, and magic tricks. I have no knowledge about any of these topics. Hmm, okay, what else? He’s also Linkara’s accountant. That means he’s good at math, just as I am! However, accounting is one of the most boring ways to enjoy the wonders of numbers and mathematics. If he only used theorems and formulas to invent or destroy things, but no, his interests are with taxes and money. Ugh, money is so unbelievably boring. I should really have finished that money-producing machine Wayne and I used to joke about so I wouldn’t have to worry about it ever again. Hmm, what else, what else do I know about-oh, I know this song!”_

Linksano looked up on stage as a woman with a half-decent voice began to sing ‘I’d Love You to Want Me.’ He was a big fan of the more mellow music from the 70s and this song was one of a few which had really resonated with him. Soon Linksano started swaying his head and tapping his foot along with the rhythm, getting lost in his thoughts as he often did when listening to music. A string of singers who selected similar mellow songs followed that first woman, and Linksano continued to enjoy their surprisingly enjoyable voices to the point that he started applauding each one with more and more enthusiasm, even cheering slightly after a man’s heartfelt rendition of ‘Cat’s in the Cradle’.

“Oh my, yes! Splendid, absolutely splendid! I haven’t heard such sublime singing in quite some time!” He turned back around and noticed his tablemate. “Oh, what did you think, Boffo?”

_I enjoyed it as well. I hadn’t realized you were such a big fan of this kind of music, Linksano. I could tell from your expression that you were really having a good time listening to all these singers._

“I honestly was,” Linksano agreed with a bit of an embarrassed laugh. “Sometimes when I’m enjoying such soothing melodies and harmonies, I become adrift in a world of my own.” Linksano suddenly frowned and turned around to check the huge clock on the wall, which was counting down the time left until the new year arrived. He muttered and did some calculations before he gasped and looked back at Boffo in horror. “Oh dear Tesla! I-I was so busy enjoying the music that I completely forgot the reason we were here! I went a solid thirty-two minutes without speaking to or even acknowledging your presence, Boffo! H-how could I have done such a thoughtless thing? I’m so very sorry for ignoring you like that! I never meant to, I promise you!”

Linksano moaned softly and buried his face in his hands. How could he have acted so cruelly? This was the first date he’d even been asked out on and this was how he behaved? Linksano was about to sink into a pool of depression when he felt a tap upon his upper arm. He peeked out between his fingers to find Boffo holding up a new message for him to read.

_Linksano, you have nothing to apologize for. I was listening to the music along with you, and I don’t mind if you weren’t speaking for a while. I could have asked you something or gotten your attention if I’d really wanted to as well, so there is no reason to blame only yourself for this. Not that there should be something to be blamed for. You were having a good time enjoying the music, and I was having a good time watching you enjoy the music, so really nothing terrible has happened at all._

“It hasn’t?” Linksano didn’t really understand how Boffo could remain so calm at a slight he found entirely reprehensible, but the clown’s soft smile and bright eyes that lacked the slightest traces of anger or hurt helped his words start to stick in the scientist’s mind. Linksano smiled back at Boffo then and noticed the other man’s smile seemed to grow. “Oh. I see. Thank you for forgiving me so easily. H-however, even though you have not been offended by my actions, I would still like to make it up to you.” Boffo seemed about to protest this, but Linksano stood up before he had the chance to write another word. “I seem to recall you mentioning once that you enjoyed my voice when I was singing, correct?”

Boffo turned beet red as he remembered his admission earlier in the month about overhearing Linksano in the shower but still nodded.

“Since that is the case, I shall attempt to counteract my earlier rudeness by singing in a place where you can hear me properly.” Linksano couldn’t help feeling amused as Boffo closed his eyes in obvious embarrassment before he turned around and strode toward the stage.

Even though he was terrified by the prospect of potentially humiliating himself in front of a crowd, there was something deep inside Linksano pushing him to do this. He had always been so timid, so fearful of life, but at this moment he felt a strong impulse to rid himself of all uncertainty and do something unpredictable. Still, as he walked through the throngs of people, a wave of nauseating butterflies took flight in his stomach and Linksano had to pause for a moment. Fortunately, he paused right beside Linkara’s table, so he reached over and plucked one of the newly delivered soda glasses up and quickly downed half of it.

“Hey! Dude, what the-oh, Linksano-dude.” 90s Kid looked up in surprise as he watched the scientist drinking from his glass. “What’s up, man?”

“Sorry, 90s Kid,” Linksano apologized, setting the drink back down as well as a couple dollars to replace it. “But I don’t want my voice to crack when I’m singing.”

“Oh, I totally get that, dude. Wait, what?” 90s Kid looked up at him in shock. “Really? Hey, dudes, Linksano’s going to sing!” He turned to the rest of the table, who all looked to Linksano in various states of shock as well.

“No way!”

“This I gotta see!”

“Go for it, my spiral-eyed friend!”

*Break a leg, Doctor.*

“Thank you.” Unable to speak further, thanks to his tongue feeling like it was made of lead, Linksano turned and made his way onto the stage. The lights overhead were hot and blinding, the haze from the smoke machine was hurting his eyes, and all of his friends, not to mention several strangers, had their eyes trained on him. However, the only pair of eyes Linksano cared about were in the very back of the room. After making certain that Boffo was watching him, Linksano closed his own eyes behind his goggles, wet his lips, and began to sing an oft-played song in his record collection. He had been inspired by the earlier round of mellow tunes to sing, ‘Two Out of Three Ain’t Bad’. 

_“Baby, we can talk all night, but that ain’t getting us nowhere… I told you everything I possibly can, there’s nothing left inside of here…”_

“I love this song!” Dan exclaimed loudly enough that he could be heard from the stage. Linksano glanced his way and saw the team watching him with moderately to very impressed expressions. Feeling more confident, he turned his attention to the back of the room again, where Boffo was watching with the most intense expression Linksano had ever seen on his face, as if he were determined to soak up every moment of this performance and permanently store it in his memory.

_“And maybe you can cry all night, but that’ll never change the way that I feel… the snow is really piling up outside, I wish you wouldn’t make me leave here…”_

Linksano’s voice grew steadily stronger as he kept singing, and as he kept singing, he kept thinking as well. About her. Spoonette. This song never failed to remind him of her. Her beautiful eyes. Her golden hair. The pain that her rejection had caused him. Linksano had never expressed his sorrow over that rejection aloud, but now felt like the perfect time to do so, and somehow, singing helped better than simply speaking the words.

_“I poured it on and I poured it out, I tried to show you just how much I care… I’m tired of words and I’m too hoarse to shout, but you’ve been cold to me so long, I’m crying icicles instead of tears…”_

Linksano’s thoughts turned then to what was happening tonight, how this was his first real date, the first time he had taken a chance in years. He wanted to apologize to Boffo for ignoring him, but he also had another reason for singing. Linksano knew he would never be able to put Spoonette behind him if he didn’t let his feelings about her out, and this song, sung at this time and at this place, seemed like the perfect method to do it.

_“And all I can do is keep on telling you, I want you, I need you, but there ain’t no way I’m ever gonna love you, now don’t be sad, ‘cause two out of three ain’t bad… now don’t be sad, ‘cause two out of three ain’t bad…”_

The crowd was looking at Linksano now with great admiration and even slight awe. Even though his voice wasn’t the best or the most polished, his singing continued to grow stronger and the power of his voice helped the words sound honest and meaningful. Linksano was truly singing from the heart. He was also giving such a fine performance that nobody could even think of giggling at the corny lyrics of the song, or how odd a goggle-wearing mad scientist with a red bow tie looked singing them.

_“You’d never find your gold on a sandy beach, you’d never drill for oil on a city street, I know you’re looking for a ruby in a mountain of rocks, but there ain’t no Coupe de Ville hiding at the bottom of a Cracker Jack box…”_

Linksano was fully channeling all of the pain and sorrow from his past into the song, opening up baggage he had always kept locked tightly, and releasing its contents into the ether, free from their bindings at last. He could finally start breathing again. He could finally move on.

Linksano gripped the microphone and kept singing.

_“I can’t lie, I can’t tell you that I’m something I’m not, no matter how I try, I’ll never be able to give you something, something that I just haven’t got!”_

This part of the song always ripped Linksano’s heart in half. He kept his eyes closed so he wouldn’t see the stares of the others and his voice remained steady and powerful as he kept on going.

_“Well, there’s only one girl that I will ever love, and that was so many years ago… and though I know I’ll never get her out of my heart, she never loved me back, ooh, I know… well, I remember how she left me on a stormy night, oh she kissed me and got out of our bed, and though I pleaded and I begged her not to walk out that door, she packed her bags and turned right away…”_

Linksano had never shared a bed with Spoonette. In fact, the only form of affection he’d ever gotten from her was a hug when she told him she wanted to be friends, for Wayne’s sake. It had broken his heart into millions of pieces, but he smiled and said he was willing to be friends, for her sake and for Wayne’s. He would do anything for Sponette and his brother, no matter how badly it hurt.

_“And she kept on telling me, she kept on telling me, she kept on telling me I want you…I need you… but there ain’t no way I’m ever gonna love you, now don’t be sad… ’cause two out of three ain’t bad… now don’t be sad… ’cause two out of three ain’t bad…now don’t be sad… ’cause two out of three ain’t bad…”_

Linksano took a deep breath and with a voice that quivered softly now, finished the song, feeling a terrific pressure lessen inside of his chest.

_“Baby, we can talk all night… but that ain’t getting us nowhere…”_

Linksano had gotten so immersed in the song that he almost forgot other people were there watching him, so he looked truly startled when he heard a room full of applause. All of his friends were clapping, cheering, and whistling at his performance, and even the people he didn’t know seemed to be impressed with his singing abilities. He took an awkward bow and went to the table, where Dan was wiping away tears.

"I don’t think I’ve ever heard such a touching rendition of that song!” he told him as 90s Kid consolingly patted his shoulder. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to settle for my vinyl after that!”

“You’ve been holding out on us, doc.” Harvey told him, nodding in approval. “You got chops.”

“That was totally awesome, dude!” 90s Kid was quick to agree. “I told you that you could, like, totally sing if you tried!”

“I gotta say, Linksano, you did great. I’m impressed,” Linkara told him, offering him another newly purchased drink just for him. Linksano took a quick gulp, feeling relieved as the cool liquid touched his dry throat.

*You have revealed a wondrous hidden talent. I hope you do not keep it hidden any longer.*

“Thank you all,” Linksano said softly. Normally he would feel like sticking around to bask in their praise, but he had more important matters to attend to. “If you’ll excuse me.” Linksano set down the drink and hurried to his table in the very back of the club. He didn’t pay attention to the compliments thrown his way by the tables he passed, since his focus was only on Boffo.

Boffo wasn’t looking at him when Linksano arrived at the table, and was so focused on writing that he almost missed when the scientist sat down across from him. Nevertheless, he did look up at Linksano’s presence and before Linksano realized what they were doing, he’d reached out to rest a hand on Linksano’s arm, squeezing it softly.

Linksano looked into the clown’s honestly joyful eyes, before looking to his heart-warming smile, and thought that out of all the compliments his performance had received, these small gestures meant the most. Now that he had finally gotten feelings out, he could truly enjoy the rest of the party.

_Thank you for sharing such a huge part of yourself. I can tell that you connect with that song on a deep, personal level and I am so happy that you could express some of your feelings tonight._

“You don’t need to thank me, Boffo,” Linksano replied in a quiet voice after reading the note. “You are also correct about that song and I… I would like to tell you about what it means to me… but can that wait for another night?” Boffo was quick to nod about this indeed being okay. “Thank you for understanding.” Linksano glanced down at the clown’s hand then, seeing as it was still on his arm, before Boffo noticed and sheepishly pulled it back. Linksano didn’t seem to mind though, since he smiled at Boffo once again. “I’m mostly relieved that I’ve finally been able to sufficiently apologize for my prior actions.”

Boffo’s expression clouded slightly as he hurried to write down a new message.

_Linksano, please believe me when I say that there was no need to apologize. As much as I enjoyed watching you sing on that stage, I enjoyed watching you listen to the other singers just as much. You don’t need to act any differently than you normally would tonight. I am very happy just to be here with you, so please don’t feel as if you need to do anything more._

Linksano read those words a few times before the message sunk in. He turned back to Boffo then with a shy smile. “I’m sorry, but I must apologize again for all these apologies. I’m not intending to cause you distress, I…I’m simply not used to hearing such things about myself,” he admitted. “Boffo, did you really find enjoyment simply from observing me as I was carried away by these various melodies?”

Boffo chuckled silently and nodded again. _Yes I did. I find you always have the most interesting reactions to different things, Linksano, so I’ve often found myself looking in your direction when something is going on, including when you are listening to music._

The familiar notes of ‘Every Breath You Take’ suddenly wafted through the club and Boffo went bright red before he started scribbling furiously on the paper.

_I don’t mean to say I’m always watching you, Linksano! I just mean that when we both happen to be together or with the others, I’m more likely to watch you than them. But when I say watch, I don’t mean watch as in study or watch in a creepy way, I just really like when you smile and I want to see what it is that made you smile in the first place which is why I pay extra attention to_

Boffo exhaled sharply then and started to cross out what he’d written, feeling very embarrassed about admitting such a thing, but Linksano suddenly said, “Don’t!” Trembling slightly, the clown looked up at him and was surprised to see Linksano, just as red as he, was offering him that awkward grin that Boffo loved best. “If I can’t take back my numerous ramblings then you aren’t allowed to erase yours either. Especially not… if they’re about you… enjoying something about myself.”

Boffo quivered with delight as Linksano reached out to grab the paper he’d written that confession upon. Thin, black-clad fingers curled around the edge of the card, fingers so close to Boffo’s that he could reach out and brush them if he wanted to, and right about now he really wanted to…


	5. Chapter 5

“Duuuuudes! What’s happening? Besides Linksano singing awesomely, I mean!”

Boffo and Linksano both jumped as 90s Kid somehow appeared at their table without either of them noticing, Dan right at his side. Boffo caught his breath and reached out to straighten his note cards, noticing how Linksano had hastily shoved that one card into his trench coat.

“Oh, th-thank you once again, 90s Kid. And hello Dan. Are you t-two enjoying yourselves?” Linksano was doing his best to seem calm and collected, but as he brought his glass to his lips, a little water sloshed out onto his sleeve. Fortunately, 90s Kid was much too excited to notice how flustered they both looked.

“Of course we are! This party is totally awesome! Dan and me and everyone are having the most rad time ever! There’s tons of awesome food and soda and everyone’s singing and partying super hard!”

_We agree with you, 90s Kid. This is certainly one of the most enjoyable parties I’ve ever been to._

“For sure!” 90s Kid suddenly tilted his head and looked at the card Boffo was holding up with a frown. “Um, Boffo, why are you, like, using Ninja-dude’s cards?”

“Well, Kid, it is a bit loud in here for a horn to be used for effective communication,” Dan smoothly answered as he rested his hands on the teen's shoulders and tried to steer him away from the table. Sadly, his strength wasn’t enough to beat 90s Kid’s curiosity and he remained in place, staring down at the duo’s table in even more confusion.

“Hey, how come you two are sitting back here all alone? We, like, waved to you earlier Boffo, cuz we had seats for you dudes! And Linksano, you totally left before Linkara could tell you to move to our table! Don’t you wanna sit with us?”

“O-of course we do, 90s Kid! It’s just that Boffo and I, um, we had to, er, d-discuss some important topics,” Linksano answered, splashing even more water on his sleeve in the process.

“Like what?”

“Um, well, that is…” Linksano looked to Boffo, who looked somewhat panicked. Even though they had prepared some excuses as to why they were separating from the group that evening, they all suddenly sounded silly to the pair. Who would ever be stupid enough to try to create a balloon that could never be popped anyway?

“Hey, Kid, the stage is free!” Dan said, finally managing to grab his attention. “Come on, let’s get up there and sing our duet while we have the chance!”

“Oh, you’re totally right! Come on Dan, let’s boogie! Later, dudes!”

Boffo flashed Dan a grateful smile as he was pulled away by his boyfriend, before he turned his attention back to Linksano.

“I have the feeling that Dan seems to be aware of what we’re doing,” Linksano said. Boffo’s expression turned guilty.

_I’m sorry, Linksano. I did tell him we were on a date tonight. He’s been a good friend to me and I like confiding in him about aspects of my life, but if you’d like me not to talk about you from now on, I understand._

“No, it’s alright,” Linksano said with a shrug. “I used to share most of my thoughts with my brother no matter what they were, so I understand the appeal of having a confidant. If you’d like to speak with Dan then I have no right to stop you.”

Boffo smiled again. _Thank you for understanding. I’m glad you had a person you were close to in your life. Do you mind if I ask what your brother is like?_

“Wayne? Oh, he is a wonderful person and the best brother you could ever ask for,” Linksano replied, as his expression seemed to become infused with delight. “He is brilliant, even smarter than me I must admit, and talented in numerous fields!”

Linksano began to regale Boffo with tales of his brother, and the antics they would get up to as they were growing up and attending school together. Boffo proved to be a very good listener, almost hanging on Linksano’s every word, although he did still ask questions now and then, which Linksano happily answered.

_I can’t believe you actually freed all the frogs from the science lab._ Boffo chuckled after Linksano told him that tale from his sophomore year of high school. _It’s hard to picture you rebelling from your teachers like that._

“Oh, that wasn’t because I wanted to rebel,” Linksano replied, also chuckling as he remembered how his brother had looked when a few frogs jumped into his clothes. “Wayne only suggested we do it because we were trying to think up ways to impress-”

Linksano stopped before the name slipped past his lips. He felt strange about saying her name, as if it would be somehow wrong to do so when he was out on a date with someone else. He couldn’t say it, he didn’t want to invoke her memory yet again.

Boffo noticed how Linksano’s expression had grown anxious and he quickly wrote on a new card.

_Are you okay, Linksano?_

“What? Oh, yes, I-I’m quite fine.”

_I’m sorry if I brought up a subject you don’t want to talk about._

“It’s not… that’s not… I c-can…” Linksano swallowed thickly and looked down to the table. Even though he knew he would never be with her, and even though he wanted nothing more than to move on completely from loving her, thinking about Spoonette still had an effect on Linksano. He licked his lips and blinked behind his goggles, wishing for once in his life that he could be a smooth talker like Harvey or Linkara so that he could try to explain who Spoonette was and why her name alone had the power to tear his heart to shreds or set his soul aflame.

_It’s fine. Let’s talk about something else. You don’t own me any explanations._

Linksano read the words several times before nodding and then glancing up to the infinitely patient smile Boffo wore. How could such a patient person truly exist? How could someone so gentle and kind exist and why… why would he ever care about him?

Linksano stared at Boffo’s smile a while longer, in particular his lips. He’d never studied a man’s lips before, and soon he realized how much he’d underestimated that body part. Linksano started to blush as he recalled the sensation of those lips kissing his cheek not even a week ago. They had been so soft and warm, despite the frigid air of the mountains. Would they feel the same now if pressed against his cheek? Would they feel the same… pressed against his own lips? Linksano subtly checked the time and cursed the remaining two hours until midnight arrived.

 _Linksano? I can’t help noticing you’re looking at me very seriously._ Linksano lifted his gaze from the clown’s mouth to the rest of his face and noticed with surprise that he was blushing again. _Is there something in particular you were thinking about?_

“Um, w-well…” Linksano blushed as well, but instead of stammering further, he found the words coming to him quite clearly now. “I was actually just wishing it were closer to midnight because I think I’d like to-”

“Argh, damn it all!”

Linksano and Boffo again jumped in unison when Linkara appeared at the side of their table without either of them noticing. Linkara didn’t seem to have noticed either because he was still staring at his phone and scowling rather prominently.

“Linkara, is there s-something wrong?” Linksano asked when he’d managed to collect himself.

“Yeah there’s something wrong. I keep getting people texting me and tweeting me about hot tubs, that’s what’s wrong!”

“Oh, I see,” Linksano said, trying not to sound as amused as he felt. Across the table, he noticed Boffo had put one hand over his mouth and that his shoulders were shaking slightly. “I suppose that your, er, Christmas escapade has been exposed then?”

“I knew Phelous wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut,” Linkara muttered. Just then, he received another text, one which made his eyes almost bug out and his cheeks burn. “Oh God! Who told the fangirls about this? Now they’re making damn pictures of me and Harvey… oh, I need a drink.”

“It, uh, s-seems the bar is empty, L-linkara.” Linksano was having a terrible time trying to prevent himself from laughing in Linkara’s face. Boffo had given up by now and his shoulders were shaking very hard before he doubled over in silent laughter. This sight proved too amusing to Linksano, and a sharp cackle slipped out before he could stop it. Linkara looked up from his phone to glare at them.

“Oh, I’m sure this is very amusing to the both of you, but I don’t think you’d be the ones laughing if people were drawing erotic pictures of you!”

Linksano and Boffo’s eyes met as they shared the same mental image of what a drawing of the two of them in a hot tub would look like. Then they hurriedly turned their gazes away and tried not to think of such thoughts when Linkara was still watching them.

_I’m very sorry about laughing, Linkara. I know this must be embarrassing for you. Hopefully one of your other friends will do something to catch their attention soon._

“I guess there is a good chance of that happening,” Linkara conceded, finally deciding to turn off his phone and shoving it into his pocket. “Anyway, I didn’t come over here to complain about that. I came to ask what in the hell you two are doing? Why aren’t you sitting at our table up front? 90s Kid said you were talking, but can’t you do that with us?”

“Um, w-well actually we can’t,” Linksano said, his fingers tapping nervously against the table as he tried to think. “We’re having a discussion that, um, is rather sensitive at the moment.”

“But I’ve seen you guys sitting back here for hours,” Linkara insisted, looking between Linksano and Boffo as he tried to figure out what they were hiding. “What could possibly be so important you’d need to discuss it for this long and without us knowing about it?”

_We’re sorry, but we’d prefer not to say right now. I hope you can understand that._

Linkara’s frown deepened. “I don’t get any of this. What can’t you tell me now that you can tell me later? Jeez, all this secrecy and distancing yourself from the rest of us is making me think back to when Harvey and I were… wait. Oh!”

Linkara’s eyes lit up and his mouth fell open, much to Linksano and Boffo’s dismay. He stared down at the two of them, then at the candle still burning steadily in the middle of the table, then at Linksano’s bow tie, and finally back to the two of them. Then he closed his mouth and nodded. “Okay. I get it. Sorry for interrupting. Don’t worry, no one else will bother you tonight.”

“Linkara, wait,” Linksano quickly tried to call out as the other man turned to leave, but a blast of Queen from the speakers drowned out his cries. “Oh, this isn’t going to be good,” Linksano said with a sigh as he watched Linkara rejoin his table.

_Perhaps you’re being hasty. Linkara might not say anything to alert the others about this._

Seconds later every set of eyes from Linkara’s table were planted firmly on Linksano and Boffo, save Dan’s. He shot Linkara a mildly displeased look before leaning over to whisper something in 90s Kid’s ear. Whatever it was seemed effective, since a moment later the teen also stopped staring at the two and started waving his arms to get the attention of the others. This was, however, less effective, and every few minutes one of the crew could be found staring into the back of the club at their table.

“I admire how you can still be optimistic despite the fact that we live with a pack of ravenous dogs hungry for the smallest scrap of gossip with which they can satiate their inquisitive appetites.” Linksano’s voice was a bit muffled as he said this, since he’d slid so far down in his chair that he could touch the floor with his fingers if he wanted to. Boffo bent down and peered at him from under the table before holding up a new message.

_I’m sorry this has become so uncomfortable for you. Would you like to leave? I understand if you do and it’s fine with me._

Linksano’s first instinct was to say yes, to flee the situation and run to somewhere safe and comfortable. He was used to fleeing. He’d done it so many times in his life, whether into empty classrooms to escape bullies or into new universes to escape Vyce, but this time was different. This time, after he’d come so far, after he’d asked Boffo on a date and sang his heart out in front of so many, the idea of fleeing felt repulsive to Linksano, and the longer he stared at Boffo’s sad uncertain expression, the more repulsed he was.

“No.” Linksano straightened himself up and adjusted his tie. “I think I’m quite certain that I’d like to remain here, Boffo. If you aren’t bothered by this turn of events then I… I won’t be either. Besides, I’m sure some glory-seeking egomaniac will take the stage and gather everyone’s attention soon enough. I can wait until that occurs.”

“Ladies and gentlemen, you’re in for a real treat! Taking the stage right now is a real life super-star. You know him, you love him, you want to take him home with you: please give it up for the one and only, Harvey Finevoice!”

“See, it didn’t take long at all!” Linksano had to shout at Boffo thanks to the thunderous round of applause and cheers that overpowered any other sound. Boffo was able to read his lips, though, and he nodded happily at the other man, though most of his joy was actually relief that Linksano wanted to keep their date going. Linksano’s prediction turned out to be accurate, as within minutes of taking the stage Harvey captured the attention of everyone in the audience, including everyone at Linkara’s table. Linksano watched as several women and a few men shrieked and waved furiously at Harvey, one even tossing some article of clothing Linksano would prefer not to identify onto the stage beside him.

“He’s certainly eating this up,” Linksano muttered, rolling his eyes as Harvey made bow after bow before even beginning his song. “I bet they wouldn’t be so eager to profess their love if they walked in on him trying to clean spilled hair dye out of the sink at three in the morning.” Linksano heard a sharp exhale of breath from across the table and he cringed. “Oh, my apologies. I know I shouldn’t speak badly of our teammate, but-” Linksano trailed off when he realized Boffo was shaking with laughter so hard that he had to rest his head against the table for a moment. “O-oh, you found that funny? I admit to being surprised, since I’ve never considered myself a funny person.” Linksano was very pleased at being able to make Boffo laugh. He owed a great deal to clowns who had cheered him up and made him smile as a kid, so it felt gratifying to return the favor, so to speak.

Boffo managed to regain control of himself a minute later and he chugged the rest of his soda before panting softly. Then he wrote out a new message and held it up.

_I think you are a very funny person, Linksano. While I’m not one for insult humor most of the time, once in a while a joke like that one can hit me the right way. But please don’t tell Harvey I laughed at him._

“Of course I won’t,” Linksano reassured him. Even though he would have kept this between them anyway, Linksano wasn’t planning on informing Harvey about any of the jokes he made at his expense. Boffo shot him a grateful smile and Linksano returned it. Thankfully, by now Harvey had started his song, and the two were once again free to chatter without being noticed or overheard. “So, uh, Boffo, you said in your first note to me tonight that you wanted to change the fact that we did not know each other very well. I would like that as well, so I have devised a system for accomplishing that goal.”

 _Yes, I would like that._ Boffo nodded eagerly. _What have you decided on?_

“We will now spend a portion of the evening asking each other questions,” Linksano explained proudly. “Questions regarding each other’s likes and dislikes to be specific, since I have found throughout my life that knowing these details about another person can tell you quite a bit about them. We can take turns coming up with the categories, but the only stipulation is that you’re not allowed to say pass. We must decide on at least one favorite in each category. How does that sound to you?”

_That’s fine with me. Would you like to pick the first category?_

“I would, thank you.” Linksano smiled and confidently asked, “Boffo, what is your favorite planet!”

Boffo’s eyes widened. Then they narrowed and he brought his hand up to rest against his chin as he started to think. Linksano frowned, not expecting this reaction. “D-do you… not know which planet is your favorite, Boffo?”

Boffo shook his head. _I’m sorry, I’ve just never thought about it before. I thought you would start off with my favorite color or movie or something like that. If you give me a few minutes I’m sure I can come up with a planet I like, though._

Linksano lowered his head. “That isn’t a normal question, is it? I thought it was, because Wayne and I always used to debate which planet was better… but that was just more Schlumper brother nerdiness wasn’t it? I’m sorry, Boffo. You don’t have to make up an answer to placate me.”

Boffo frowned, reaching over to tap his upper arm again.

_It’s a perfectly fine question. I just need time to come up with my answer. Why don’t you answer it first, and maybe your explanation will help me figure out which planet is my favorite._

“Are you sure you want to hear this?” Linksano asked almost shyly as he looked over at Boffo. Boffo’s patient smile returned and he nodded enthusiastically. “Well, if you’re sure.”

Thirty-seven minutes later, Linksano finished.

“So the next time someone tries to tell you that Pluto is no longer a legitimate planet, then I want you to point that ignoramus in my direction, and I will have strong words indeed for him or her indeed!”

Linksano took a long sip of his newly filled water glass to quench his parched throat after these final words before he caught sight of the time again and sighed. “Wonderful. Is boring you with useless pontifications about Pluto better or worse than ignoring you completely?” Boffo, who had been watching him with his chin resting in his hands, suddenly sat up startled and quickly grabbed his pen.

_I wasn’t bored. I enjoyed listening to your thoughts about Pluto. You obviously care about it very much, which is why you had so much to say about it. I liked listening to you talk about something you felt such passion for. Your face was so bright and your smile was so wide that I wouldn’t have minded if you kept talking even for another hour._

“Oh. Th-thank you, Boffo. I suppose I shouldn’t have cut the part on Pluto’s moons short, if you were enjoying it so much,” Linksano said, wishing he wouldn’t blush so much whenever Boffo complimented him. “Uh, s-so, did you come up with what your favorite planet is?”

Boffo nodded and wrote a few sentences down before proudly displaying his answer.

_My favorite planet is Earth. It’s the only planet with dogs and cats and birds and children and people on it. It has beautiful blue oceans, gorgeous orange sunsets, and lush, green jungles, plus creatures and items of every color. So that’s why I love it best._

Linksano pondered this answer a while, long enough to start making Boffo nervous, so he quickly added a few words.

_Sorry, I know it’s a boring answer compared to yours and it’s not filled with facts and histories about the Earth, but I hope it still told you something important about me._

“No need to apologize, Boffo,” Linksano murmured as he finally met eyes with the clown again. “Any answer which is honest is the correct answer. I did indeed learn something from the question. I have never even considered Earth as an option before, but you have made me completely re-evaluate my standards for planetary judgment, Boffo, so I thank you.”

Boffo squirmed happily in his chair.

_I’m so happy you liked my answer. So it’s my turn, right?_

“Correct.”

_Okay! Linksano, what is your favorite color? Mine is every color, because choosing just one would be too hard._

“Mmm, I would normally call that a cop-put answer, but I have a feeling it’s the honest truth with you,” Linksano said as he gazed upon Boffo’s rainbow wig. Boffo laughed and nodded. “Okay, now I will need a moment to try and select my answer.”

The two continued on in this manner for a while, asking and answering a number of questions that would most likely be considered inane by some people, but which to them proved extremely important in helping them understand not only how they differed in their thoughts and outlooks on life, but on how they were similar as well. They could have easily continued asking each other questions into the night, but a server suddenly placing two flutes of champagne on their table broke them out of their discussion on whether smooth or chunky peanut butter was preferable.

“What’s this?” Linksano asked the server in confusion. “We didn’t order any drinks.”

“They’re from that table up front,” she answered, pointing toward Linkara’s table where he and Harvey were staring at them with incredibly pleased expressions. “They said they wanted you to be able to toast as you ring in the new year.”

“I see.” Linksano checked the time and saw it was ten minutes away from midnight. “Thank you.” Linksano offered her a tip before staring at the glasses with slight disdain. “So much for not bothering us.”

_I think it was meant to be a kind gesture to show their support._

“Yes, I agree that’s what it was meant to be, but you don’t drink alcohol, Boffo, and I don’t enjoy indulging unless it is a special occasion.”

Boffo gave Linksano an unreadable stare before he took his time writing something out. This time though, instead of holding it up for the scientist to read, he flipped it over and passed it across the table. Linksano blinked in surprise and tried to gauge Boffo’s expression, but the clown was looking down now, avoiding his gaze. Feeling slightly nervous, Linksano picked up the card and began to read.

_To me, tonight is a special occasion. It’s a night full of hope and possibilities. And even if tonight is the only night we are able to spend together like this, I will always remember it as the most special, amazing night of my life. It’s the night when I was able to learn so much about someone I care for deeply, so I really want to thank you for asking me to come here with you, and for talking with me like this. I want to thank you for giving me the chance to show you how much I care about you, and I want to ask you to please indulge me in a toast. I don’t normally drink, I admit, but tonight is a special occasion. Please toast with me, Linksano._

Linksano looked up to find Boffo had picked up one of the champagne flutes and was watching him with a hopeful expression. Linksano looked at him a moment before folding the card in half and laying it down on the table.

“One last question, Boffo. Answer it for me and I will gladly toast you.”

Boffo’s eyebrows rose in surprise, but he nodded. Linksano did as well and wet his lips before he spoke. The question came out in a whisper, but Boffo still heard it.

“Why… why do you care for me, Boffo? Why do you like me?”

It was a question that held an answer Linksano couldn’t even begin to fathom. What could possibly be so interesting, so appealing, so likable about himself? And why could Boffo see this mysterious quality when it continued to elude him no matter how much Linksano tried to figure it out?

The answer must have eluded Boffo as well since he looked honestly shocked by the question. He held his pen over the paper for a full minute as he thought up an answer before writing something.

_I don’t know._

Linksano seemed to deflate at this answer and he started trembling. Boffo’s expression contorted into one of pain before he wrote furiously across the page.

_I’m sorry! I’m sorry please don’t be upset! I can’t think of any good answer to this question because I just like you I just want to spend time with you and get to know more about you and watch you invent things and listen to music you like and smile that beautiful smile of yours I wish I could come up with an answer that would satisfy you but I can’t please don’t be upset I hate when you’re upset please don’t cry please don’t please please_

Boffo seemed on the verge of tears himself now but he refused to stop writing until he could figure out what he could say to make Linksano happy again. He grabbed for the edge of the card, ready to turn it over and start listing all the attributes Linksano had which he admired, but he stopped when two gloved hands covered his own, pressing the pen and paper flat against the table. He looked up to find Linksano standing over him, still trembling but looking determined now.

“That’s enough. You don’t have to write anymore, Boffo. I’ve gotten the answer I was looking for.”

Linksano tugged gently on Boffo’s wrists, pulling him into a standing position. Around them, the other patrons of the club were also standing and chanting aloud the countdown of the final minute of the year.

“59! 58! 57!”

The two couldn’t hear the shouting or see the excited faces around them. Their gazes locked and they stared intently at each other, both trembling now as Linksano kept his hands around Boffo’s wrists.

“Boffo, I, um… tonight, it… it’s been nice. So very nice. Hasn’t it?”

Boffo nodded and signed out the words ‘very fun’, forgetting for a moment that Linksano couldn’t read signs, nor see his hands, since he was still holding onto his wrists. That didn’t matter, though, since Linksano understood. He cleared his throat and his voice grew softer. “I feel the same way. I really liked getting to know you tonight. I… I really liked being with you, Boffo."

Boffo’s trembling grew but he continued to focus on Linksano, who felt his heartbeat quicken and his throat grow dry once more.

"30 seconds, everybody! 29! 28! 27!”

“Boffo, I… I’m so tired of giving in to fear.” Linksano wanted to look down, but he knew he had to say these words to Boffo directly. “I’m tired of being sad and I’m tired of being lonely. I don’t know what the future will bring, but I… I don’t want this… I don’t want u-us… to be just for tonight. I-if that sounds alright to you?”

Boffo gasped and looked as if he might faint for a moment. Then, his resulting smile gave Linksano a strange mixture of confidence and calmness.

“15! 14! 12!”

“So, erm… I… might I… might I call you my beau, Boffo?"

Boffo closed his eyes as his knees almost buckled. Linksano’s expression turned startled and he reached out to grab Boffo’s shoulders, steadying him for a few seconds, until the clown’s eyes opened and he gazed at Linksano with a look of adoration that took the scientist’s breath away.

“3! 2! 1! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!"

Without thinking, Linksano pulled Boffo toward him until their lips met in a gentle kiss. Boffo was very still for a moment, almost as if in shock, but then he placed his hands on Linksano’s shoulders as well and kissed him back. In spite of the din going on all around them, in spite of the cheers and the screams and noisemakers, all the two could hear were their own heartbeats and a dull roaring sound, as though seashells had been pressed against their ears.

When they came apart from their kiss, Linksano felt more light-hearted than he’d been in years. His face was bright red, but his smile was so wide and so joyful that Boffo had to stare at it a moment so he could be certain he’d remember it for the rest of his life. Linksano’s completely overjoyed smile might easily become his new favorite. Boffo gently slid one hand into Linksano’s then and smiled back with a grin just as wide and as joyful as the other man’s. With the other hand he reached for his champagne flute again, while Linksano reached for the second.

“Happy new year, Linksano,” Boffo mouthed before clinking their glasses together.

“It should indeed be a happy year,” Linksano replied, curling his fingers gently around Boffo’s before lifting his glass to take a sip.


End file.
